Hands On - Focus On Low Vision
A Case For LV
by Karlen Cole McLean, ABOC, NCLC

As in any field, in vision there are specialty experts. They are the people who get others excited about what they do and how they do it. Optical has many specialties or niches to choose from, but low vision (LV) produces a loyal ECP base.

Though ODs and MDs are the gatekeepers, more opticians are also getting involved in low vision. Here we profile three opticians, each of whom carved a distinct niche within the low vision category.

CASE STUDY #1

Format: Independent practice

Subject: Rob Erickson, optician and owner, The Optical Shop, Sunnyvale, Calif.

I joined an opticianry practice in the late 1980s. We incorporated low vision and practiced both standard opticianry and low vision while growing the low vision specialty. In 1994, I purchased the business from the previous owner.

I decided to concentrate more energy on the low vision aspect of the business. We are the only low vision practitioners in our part of the Bay Area, and there is a good patient base. Most of our low vision patients are elderly, with occasional young or middle-aged clients.

Optical competition is fierce--it was necessary to find a unique niche to stay successful. We are the only local business that handles magnifiers.

Our LV patients come to us by OD and ophthalmologist referrals, as well as word-of-mouth. Early on, I advertised and had a Website that sold LV devices. Both helped me get established.

I became so busy that I mothballed the Website. I still maintain the URL, but I no longer advertise.

PHOTO COURTESY ESCHENBACH

CASE STUDY #2

Format: Independent optician

Subject: Bruce Linder, optician and owner, Linder Opticians, Bel Air, Md.

This is a blue-collar practice. I'm a one-man show. I still manage to spend time with my customers, who are mostly elderly. I have no direct form of referral and do little advertising; it's mostly word-of-mouth that gets clients to me.

LV technology today is reasonably priced compared to 10 years ago, plus there are a lot more options. I started by working with hand-held devices, then moved to optical systems, and finally to digital systems.

A well-equipped LV dispensary is a commitment to the profession. I have thousands of dollars invested in equipment, and the return can be negligible. I compare it to a jewelry store: They have to have a high-priced tennis bracelet in the showcase. That doesn't mean you're going to sell one every day or even once a year.

My LV appointments are typically scheduled before or after regular hours by appointment only.

	PHOTOS COURTESY ESCHENBACH

Wanting the low vision device and not wanting to pay for it is a problem. I came to a crossroads: I was going to have to start charging $50 to $100 for my time and credit it towards purchase, or I was going to have to tell customers, 'If you aren't willing to spend at least $350 to be able to read again, than it's not worth both our times.'

I went with choice number two, and it's working very well. That approach clears the air and builds cooperation, payment, and success with devices.

CASE STUDY #3

Format: Hospital Setting

Subject: Gerald Mansell, LDO, adaptive technology specialist, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, Palm Beach Gardens, and Naples, Fla.

I had a store in Palm Beach, Fla., for many years. I always worked on specialty stuff like ptosis crutches, keratoconus, retinopathy, and macular degeneration, so low vision was easy for me to segue into.

Today, I work with ophthalmologists and ODs in a cooperative setting. I travel to our different locations on set days for patient appointments.

We see people from all over. There could be 200 LV patients in the waiting area with different conditions, and I get to talk with them all. I review records and study their complete files. This helps me diagnose which adaptive technology would be best for them.

Insurance companies and Medicare will typically pay for LV evaluations, but not for adaptive technology. That means selling the technology and your services.

One out of four people in Florida has macular degeneration or another eye condition. Often, the solution is via devices, not surgery. But it takes personality, patience, time, and the ability to educate and listen.

Most of the elderly patients I see won't spend money unless it's on their family. It's a matter of telling them that by improving their quality of life through LV technology, they will help their family. They'll be less of a burden, more productive, and happier.

Next month, we get the perspective of three more ECPs working with LV patients in different settings.